Healthcare Stocks Archive

A Pharmaceutical Stock with 20% Earnings Growth Potential

Big pharmaceutical stocks don't often see double-digit earnings growth without dramatic cost-cutting. Unfortunately, while cost-cutting can prop up a stock temporarily, it can't enhance a company's overall profitability long-term.

That's why I'm turning my attention to a nifty global pharmaceutical stock that has the profit potential and earnings momentum to carry it ahead even in recessionary times.

This company isn't a household name like Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb or Wyeth. But it still has a blockbuster product line. This global stock manufacturers generic drugs for everything from heart drugs to antibiotics to antidepressants. Here's why you want to own this stock now...

5 Biotech Stocks to Buy Now

The biotech sector is one of the few that is in positive territory year-to-date. Cougar Biotechnology is a great stock pick in this sector. Here's why, plus four more biotech stocks to buy now.

Bristol Myers Squibb Offers a Rare Find These Days - High Dividends

Bristol-Myers Squibb is one of the few blue chip stocks to continue to offer shareholders a solid dividend. That is more rare among large cap stocks than you think. A full 59 of the S&P 500 stocks have either cut or eliminated their dividend. That's just one reason BMY is a good buy.

Almost Family Jumps 14%

Almost Family (AFAM) is a wonderful stock to own during tough economic times. The company provides home health nursing services. This morning, Almost Family post first-quarter earnings of 68 cents a share. That was eight cents more than Wall Street's consensus. The shares have been up by as much as 14% this morning.

Midday Market Update

Today is May Day and many stock exchanges are closed around the world. It's been a fairly quite day on Wall Street. As of noon, the major indexes are holding on to small gains. One economic report showed that the April ISM rose to 40.1 from 36.3, a bit above the consensus 38.4 and the highest reading since September. This is good news, but the ISM will probably stumble in future months due to the plant shutdowns at GM and Chrysler. The Federal Reserve said today that it will reveal the results of its stress test on May 7. The idea of the stress test is to see how well the nation's largest banks will hold up if the recession worsens. Of course, I'm more worried about how the U.S. government will hold up if the economy worsens.

Swine Flu Stocks

Over the weekend, the world has been engulfed in fear of the Swine Flu outbreak. It's hard to say what the impact will be. After Hong Kong experienced the SARS outbreak, their stock market dropped 17%. Smithfield Foods (SFD), the world's largest pork producer, is down sharply. Many airline and cruise line stocks are also down.

Ride the Health Care Sector Merger Wave with Volcano (VOLC) and Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN

When Express Scripts (ESRX) announced its decision to acquire WellPoint (WLP), the stock soared 15.5% on the news. Here's how to get in on the next wave of health care sector mergers.

Express Scripts Bold Deal

I've recently discussed the growing merger wave in healthcare. This is a trend that every investor ought to be a part of. This morning, one of my favorite healthcare picks, Express Scripts (ESRX), announced plans to buy WellPoint's (WLP) in-house pharmacy-benefit management business for $4.68 billion. I like this deal and it will give ESRX a huge lift against its rivals. When you have lots of cash, low stock prices and a crowded industry, you're going to see consolidation. I was also glad to see that Express Scripts is funding the deal with cash and stock. Expect to see more big deals in the near-future.

Bristol-Myers Reaches Deal to Continue Selling Abilify

Today is a good day for Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY) which is one of my top Blue Chip Growth stocks. The healthcare company reached a deal with Japan's Otsuka Pharmaceutical to continue selling the antidepressant Abilify in the U.S. until 2015.

Celgene Shocks the Street

Shares of Celgene (CEL) are getting pummeled in today's trading. The drug maker warned about its first-quarter earnings and that has sparked the heavy selling today. This is interesting for two reasons. First, we can see that the economy is impacting healthcare stocks which are often immune for economic downturns. The other reason is that Celgene had been a very strong stock for a long time. Wall Street was expecting sales for Q1 of $647 million. Today, Celgene said its sales will come in around $600 million.

More Mega-Mergers in Big Pharma

On Monday, Merck (MRK) announced that it's buying Schering-Plough (SGP) for $41 billion. This was only the latest big buyout in the world of major pharmaceutical companies, and I expect more to come. Once Pfizer (PFE) made its move for Wyeth (WYE), Merck simply had to respond. In fact, I nearly added Schering-Plough this month's Blue Chip Growth Buy List (the issue will be live next Monday).

Merck to Buy Schering-Plough in $41 Billion Mega-Merger

The big news this morning is that Merck (MRK) is buying Schering-Plough (SGP) for $41 billion. This is the latest mega-merger in the pharmaceutical industry. A few weeks ago, Pfizer (PFE) announced a $68 billion merger deal with Wyeth (WYE). What caught my attention about today's deal is that Merck is financing nearly half of it in cash. This is a very important message to investors because it's a reflection of how cheap the stock market is.

Best Bets in Health Care

Last week, I shared some of my favorite health care stocks with you. Today, I want to go over some prominent health care stocks whose outlook doesn't look so bright. Bear in mind the difference between a successful health care stock and an unsuccessful one can be huge.

Is Health Care Hot?

Health care is one of my favorite stock market sectors right now. Health care stocks like Abbott Labs, JNJ and Amgen have wide and expanding operating margins, the right products and stability, factors that are especially important in these economic times.

ABT Shows Earnings Matter

One of my favorite stocks, Abbott Laboratories (ABT), released a great quarterly report before the market opened, and has been rising all morning as a result. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Following stocks with strong earnings is the only way to profit in this difficult market.